雲林寺（猫寺） #1ーUnrinji-Temple (“Cat Temple”) #1
Although Unrinji has been a Rinzai Zen temple for over 400 years, it is now widely known as Neko-dera, or “Cat Temple.” It was once a sub-temple of Tenjuin, the temple that enshrines daimyo Mōri Terumoto (1553–1625), who led the move of the domain’s headquarters from Hiroshima to Hagi. After Terumoto’s death in 1625, his retainer Nagai Motofusa (d. 1625) committed ritual suicide. Motofusa’s cat is said to have bit through its tongue and died from grief over its owner’s death.
Its main building contains a huge variety of cat-themed artwork, clippings from newspapers and magazines, and other items. Most of the wooden cats that can be seen throughout the temple are the work of Yamaguchi-based chainsaw artist Takao Hayashi. Famous illustrators from Japan’s anime and manga studios have also donated cat-themed artwork.
雲林寺（猫寺） #1ーUnrinji-Temple (“Cat Temple”) #1
Although Unrinji has been a Rinzai Zen temple for over 400 years, it is now widely known as Neko-dera, or “Cat Temple.” It was once a sub-temple of Tenjuin, the temple that enshrines daimyo Mōri Terumoto (1553–1625), who led the move of the domain’s headquarters from Hiroshima to Hagi. After Terumoto’s death in 1625, his retainer Nagai Motofusa (d. 1625) committed ritual suicide. Motofusa’s cat is said to have bit through its tongue and died from grief over its owner’s death.
Its main building contains a huge variety of cat-themed artwork, clippings from newspapers and magazines, and other items. Most of the wooden cats that can be seen throughout the temple are the work of Yamaguchi-based chainsaw artist Takao Hayashi. Famous illustrators from Japan’s anime and manga studios have also donated cat-themed artwork.